a. and sb. Also 7 epileptique, -ticke. See also EPILENTIC. [a. F. épileptique, ad. L. epilēpticus, a. Gr. ἐπιληπτικός, f. ἐπιλαμβάνειν (see prec.).]
A. adj. 1. Of or pertaining to epilepsy; of the nature of epilepsy.
1608. L. Machin, Dumbe Knight, III. But Ile forestall thine Epileptique fits, And by my plots breed thy destruction.
1651. Biggs, New Disp., 190. ¶ 592. The epileptick fumes shall come that way out of the brain.
1794–6. E. Darwin, Zoon., I. 325. It appears … that reverie is a disease of the Epileptic or Cataleptic kind.
1840. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Pass. in Life H. Harris. A formidable epileptic attack.
1878. A. M. Hamilton, Nerv. Dis., 103. Epileptic coma can hardly be mistaken for that of cerebral hemorrhage.
1889. F. Clark, Papers on Surg. He had two epileptic fits.
2. Affected with epilepsy.
1605. Shaks., Lear, II. ii. 87. A plague vpon your Epilepticke visage.
1655. Jer. Taylor, Of Repentance, vi. § 7. An epileptick son doth often come from an epileptick father.
1681. Colvil, Whigs Supplic. (1751), 81. Till through his epileptic mouth Those following speeches fierce and loud Burst out.
1806. Med. Jrnl., XV. 335. In Russia, Denmark, and Sweden, millions of children become epileptic from the breast.
1875. B. Richardson, Dis. Mod. Life, 44. In the olden times … to be epileptic or insane was, to be possessed of an evil spirit.
B. sb. 1. An epileptic person. Cf. A. 2.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., III. xxxiv. 211. Epileptiques: For they esteemed such as were troubled with such Diseases, Dæmoniaques.
1732. Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet, 373 (R.). Epilepticks ought to breathe a pure Air.
1864. Reader, No. 94. 485/2. Epileptics and idiots.
2. In pl. Medicines given to cure or mitigate epilepsy.
1721. in Bailey; and in mod. Dicts.
